Penny Jar

When shopping, please do remember to buy extra tins for the food bank. And leave coupons for people where the items are. And pay for the next person’s groceries, especially if they’re elderly, or have children, or look particularly grouchy.

Make a Sweetie Treatie Day at work (i recommend Monday) and make sure everybody gets his or her favourite (hopefully home baked) treat right about the low blood sugar time of the afternoon. Initials are nice, too, to personalize them.

Keep cough syrup and drops, analgesic and tissue packets in your office desk just in case. It’s sad how many people have no choice but to come in to work, even if they’re very ill. For these poor people, even a little kindness can go a long way.

If you’re trying to get some information from a company rep/ government official etc. and not getting anywhere, don’t get angry at them. Instead, offer to email them the information when you do eventually find it out from other sources. Often they are doing three people’s work for half a salary, and have no time to do the research themselves. Do yourself, them, and the next person along a favour, and give them the right information to do their job well.

If you find yourself with a few dollars over after the bills are paid, it really is worthwhile to buy a pack of granola bars/instant soup packets/yogurts etc. to put into your staff workroom. Make sure they are clearly labelled as being free food. In every place of employment, there is usually at least one person who can’t afford to feed themselves lunch. Think of it as a way to increase productivity!

If you’ve ever ridden to work on a bus filled with grumpy, humourless people, you know it might be worthwhile to try writing out a clean joke onto a little card (gift cards do nicely) to leave on a seat.

Make a sandwich for the carpenter/electrician/plumber who gave up their lunch hour to come help you out. It’s a simple thing, but even a cheese sandwich from a stranger can move the toughest guy to almost-tears!

If you hear someone gossiping badly about a mutual acquaintance, quickly counter with all the times that acquaintance has spoken well of the gossiper. You could head off a nasty misunderstanding before it gets into a major conflict.

If you know a storeowner who works without help, offer to stand in for an occasional lunch hour to give them a break, or to replace stock, do inventory, books etc. once in a while. I once had a complete stranger help me wait tables in the middle of a crazy lunch hour, and it was never forgotten!

If you see that the new staff at work are in over their head, do stop (if you can) to step them through some of their work. Just the odd pointer once in a while can help them get on their feet. If you can’t stop, at least drop an encouraging note on their desk to give them a little courage.

If that receptionist/gov’t worker/counter person etc. went out of their way to do something for you, make sure you come back promptly with your hands full of flowers… or tickets to the next game… or coupons to a nice restaurant… or even just a nice handmade card to say ‘thanks’.

You know that person who never seems to fit in at work? Who’s always cranky and abusive? Chances are that they likely feel trapped. Have a coffee with them sometime and let them talk. Don’t offer any advice; just let them talk. Don’t be surprised if they start to cry. Appearances can be deceiving… many a worthy person is just stuck in the wrong job!

If you have to leave your job and have no chance to train the person replacing you, at least leave a note detailing some of the chores required and how to do them etc. where you know they will find it. I once received such a note (stuck in a drawer) that not only showed me how to do things, but what situations to watch out for. Many thanks to the kind soul who took the time to keep a stranger out of trouble!

If you frequently use a copier at work, please do make sure that it’s stocked up and in good working order for the next person along. Many people tear into the copy room under the gun to whack up a copy in no time flat and just don’t have the time to change toner etc!

Leave a small (open) box of chocolates beside the coffee machine at work. Few things go together better than coffee and chocolate, and it just might sweeten the mood of the pms’ers amongst us.

If you have a coworker who’s feeling down about some major event in their life (i.e. divorce, custody battle, bereavement) pass a blank book around the office. Have each work associate write down at least one thing about that person that they really like or admire… it only takes a few seconds. Tie a nice ribbon around it and leave it on their desk for them to find.

Have the correct change ready for the overworked cashier at the supermarket… you know, the one who has her wrists bandaged because she serves hundreds of people a day. Having your groceries grouped in categories that are easy to ring in is also helpful… and don’t forget a small compliment or thanks on your way out!

Shopper’s etiquette: Don’t throw change at the cashier. Don’t wander around and then put items back where they don’t belong.

Don’t leave the clothes you tried on lying on the changing room floor.

Don’t keep the clerk yo-yoing back and forth with petty demands.

Don’t scream abuse at the returns clerk.

Don’t charge in with some vague demand like: “I’m looking for a dress.”

Don’t buy items solely for a celebration and then return them the next day after the event is over.
DO treat the clerk like he/she is an intelligent member of the human race who has the same worth as yourself. The rest of your actions should proceed naturally from this premise!

Remember that the voice on the other end of the phone belongs to a human being. Dealing with the public over the phone is very draining. If you had to wait twenty minutes to talk to somebody, it’s probably because they were working at a breakneck pace to satisfy hundreds of people. Ask about their day. Share a joke. Make your business brief and coherent, and remember to give both thanks and the hope that their day is good.

If you work on an assembly line, remember to bring some little thing for the next worker on the line or the person working right across from you once in a while. It doesn’t need to be anything too expensive; just a candy bar or an extra coffee when you go to get one for yourself is good. Creating a bit of goodwill amongst your fellow workers never hurts, and it just might help things along!

If you happen to be single, why not offer to take over a coworker’s workload for the holidays, if you know they absolutely HAVE to be with their family. You just might be able to finally get something done, with the office being so quiet!